Chipzel

Niamh Houston (born September 23, 1991), better known by her stage name Chipzel, is a musician from Northern Ireland. She is best known for making chiptune music, particularly with a Game Boy. She is also a video game music composer, and is known for the soundtracks of games such as Super Hexagon, Spectra, and Interstellaria.

Biography

Early life

Niamh Houston was born on September 23, 1991 in Strabane, Northern Ireland. She grew up in a musical family; her sister played several instruments and her father enjoyed Irish folk music.

Career

Around the year 2006, Houston began to discover chiptune artists such as Sabrepulse, inspiring her to start making her own music with Little Sound DJ on a Game Boy. She continued to explore chip music, and in 2009, she published her first release, an EP titled Judgement Day. She followed this in 2010 with her first album, Disconnected.

In 2011, she performed at Blip Festival, a music event focused on chiptune. For live shows, Houston generally uses two Game Boys with tracker software connected to a DJ mixer.